1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a terahertz wave measurement device and method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, for the detection of measurement targets such as biorelated substances at practical levels, detection methods that utilize labelling such as fluorescence and color-emitting enzyme reactions are principally used. However, these detection methods, as well as causing primary antibodies to react, cause secondary antibodies, labelling substances and the like to react, and it is necessary to detect measurement targets from the emitted colors, fluorescence and the like. As a result, labor is required and detection times of several hours or more may be needed. There are also further problems, such as reactive effects due to steric exclusion of labelled molecules and the like. Moreover, there are measurement targets for which labelling is difficult or very expensive. Accordingly, a label-free detection method capable of detecting measurement targets such as biorelated substances and the like without the application of labelling is desired.
Because terahertz waves are in an energy range corresponding to intermolecular oscillations, there are hopes for the application of terahertz waves to label-free detection.
As a sensing device utilizing terahertz waves, a sensing device has been proposed that acquires information about a sample using electromagnetic waves that include a frequency in the frequency range from 30 GHz to 30 THz (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2007-78621). This sensing device is equipped with a conductor portion, a periodic structure disposed at a portion or a vicinity of the conductor portion, and a sample retention portion that retains the sample. In this sensing device, changes in the sample under conditions in which surface plasmon resonance is produced in the vicinity of the sample retention portion when electromagnetic waves interact in the conductor portion are detected. Thus, information about the sample is acquired.
Measurement methods based on attenuated total reflection (ATR) using terahertz waves and measurement methods in which ATR is employed have also been proposed (for example, see the Pamphlet of International Publication No. 2010/044193).